Fatherhood is based on trust
by Shiikun
Summary: Part one of "Swimming Volleyball Family: AU where Makoto and Haruka adopt Kageyama." series. Summary: Makoto is tired but at the end it's all worth it.
Tachibana Makoto has always been a patient person. Growing up with an impassive friend like Nanase Haruka and living with his troublesome younger siblings most of his life can definitely help create character in one person. But life never prepares someone to be a father. At the age of 22, he had never expected to become co-guardian of a small 10 year-old boy. At age 24, he didn't think that his face would already have wrinkles that were supposed to come in time. His messy olive brown hair was messier than what he normally would have it, he even found a grey hair one day while drying his hair. His drooping green eyes no longer shined bright because of the stress of early fatherhood.

Life for his small family was difficult. His partner, Haruka, took a leave of absence from university, which eventually changed to dropping out, to take care of little Tobio-chan. When family found out, they were astonished that it was Haruka that left school instead of the mothering-character that is Makoto Tachibana.

Not that they really cared.

It kind of annoyed Makoto that people thought so little of Haruka's abilities. It's not like Haruka and Makoto were prepared for this new addition in their family. A few days into having custody of Tobio, they realized that someone had to stay home with him while he recovered. With both of them still in university, one had to put hold on their career paths and between the two of them, Haruka was the safest choice.

Haruka, who was gifted in most abilities, decided to pursue culinary for a career. While Makoto was studying his butt off to become a literature professor.

Between the two careers, a teacher had a more stable income than a chef. Plus with Haruka's skills it was easy for him to have a part-time job some cafe or restaurant when Tobio was ready to go to school again.

Plus, Haruka and Tobio had a connection that even Makoto couldn't understand.

Maybe it was because he looked similar to his mother, but Haruka was the only one that could calm Tobio when he woke up screaming from a nightmare.

Haruka was the one he would go to when he was troubled with something.

To Tobio, it was like Makoto didn't even exist.

Makoto would see him sometimes in the house and try to talk to him, Tobio acknowledged him but would never look at him. He kept his replies short and simple. It hurt his heart that Tobio would rather lock himself in his room then to have a small conversation with him. But Makoto reminded himself that this was okay because Tobio was still mourning the loss of his mother.

Two years of this treatment was just a lot to take.

Kageyama-Nanase Yuuka was a beautiful woman based on the photographs he saw of her. Her hair was black and styled into a bob with bangs. Relatively petite yet tall from the comparison of her and Haruka's mother from a picture of a Nanase Family reunion. What got Makoto's attention though was her smile. Her eyes and nose scrunched up and her smile was would show the top row of her teeth. In the Nanase family, that type of smile was rare. The only reference that Makoto had for her personality came from Haruka's description of her:

 _"From what I heard, she was like Nagisa but had common sense."_

Haruka said that he didn't know her personally but heard her supposed background story from random people in his family. Yuuka ran away from her home because they didn't accept her relationship her lover. Which in Makoto's opinion was justifiable. She was in love with her homeroom teacher, who's name Makoto didn't bother to remember, all he knew is that he was part of the Nanase family. Someone in the family that left and wanted nothing to do with the family. Along with Yuuka.

Bless her soul, Haruka's grandmother had taken her in, in her time of need. The rest of the family didn't understand why she would do this but didn't question her. Baa-chan was known for her generous nature.

A month later, Yuuka found out that she was pregnant with Tobio.

Haruka was 14 when Yuuka became part of the family. At the time, he just accepted that she was a member of the family and wasn't interested in the life of an 20 year-old that was pregnant.

Haruka's mother told them that Yuuka struggled while raising Tobio, being a single mother was never easy. Yet she always made time for Tobio and his needs. It wasn't fair that life decided to take Yuuka away from Tobio. Late one night, Yuuka picked up Tobio from a sleepover that he wanted to leave early from. She told them how Yuuka and Tobio had a cute system, that if Tobio felt uncomfortable anything, he would call and ask about his "little brother." And that is what happened at 11pm that night.

When Yuuka arrived Tobio was barely awake and just climbed in the car and just knocked out.

It was adorable.

The ride was fine. They were only a few minutes away from their house when another car hit them. That driver had been drunk and didn't have their headlights on. Yuuka couldn't avoid it. It wasn't her fault.

Tobio, luckly was asleep and his relaxed muscles saved him from extreme injury. His mother wasn't as lucky.

Haruka, to this day, does not understand why Yuuka Kageyama, for if anything happened to her, had left Tobio in the custody of Tachibana Makoto and Haruka.

* * *

"Tachibana-san"

Makoto, who had fallen asleep on his desk from doing homework, turned his head and give his attention to the voice that apparently addressed him.

Tobio was standing a few feet away from him in his Kitagawa Daiichi volleyball uniform. Haruka had told him that Kageyama, although going a tough time, was still in love with the sport and had encouraged him to try out for the team. When Tobio saw that he had Makoto's attention, he walked forward and sat himself on the floor next to Makoto.

Makoto stared at Tobio, waiting for him to say something, but he just sat there staring ahead into nothingness. To Makoto, Tobio and Haruka were very similar yet Tobio was an enigma to him.

"Is everything o—"

"Having me around must be a pain right?"

At this point, Makoto's complete attention was on Tobio. He lifted himself from his desk and turned his chair towards Tobio. What he said was shocking itself but from the look on his face, that wasn't the only thing he wanted to say. Tobio's face was blank from emotion but his eyes were starting to have a tint of pink, showing that he was trying to hold back tears.

"Haruka talks about you all the time we are together," he inhaled a shaky breath, "he told me about how you guys planned on going back to Iwatobi after graduating. Haruka would open a restaurant and you wanted to work in your old high school, but because of me you had to move 1,000 of kilometers away from your dreams just to take care of me. Which is fine, I guess?! But but."

Tobio was breathing heavily yet he still tried to talk.

"But I've been nothing but a problem! I've been here for 2 years now and I'm still scared of everything. Especially of you. Just sitting next you, I feel like my heart is going to explode. I I-I hate that I feel like this. Haru tells me that you're so nice, so understanding so so amazing. I'm sorry."

Tobio pulled his knees up and covered his face. He felt his tears land on his knees and his throat and lungs hurt from his erratic breathing. He felt sweat on the back of his neck and his shoulders shake.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Sorry. Sorry. So—"

He felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder and flinched back a bit, not expecting the touch. He tried to focus on what the person (Ma-Makoto?) were saying to him.

"Tobio, I'm going to pull you into my lap okay? It's okay, you're safe. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I KNOW YOU WON'T!"

He threw himself into Makoto's arms. He hugged and buried his face into Makoto's neck. Tobio was hiccuping out his words.

"Y-You would ne-ver huRT ME!"

"Shhhh shhhh," With Tobio in his arms, he lifted him up and sat back down on his chair. The small fortune of being 6'2 and having a broad body. "I'm going to count to ten and I need you to breathe in and out with me."

Tobio hugged him tighter and gritted his teeth, he felt embarrassed but he listened to Makoto.  
As Makoto counted gently to ten and back, Tobio's breathing slowly started to return to normal.

His body loosened a bit as he quietly panted, slowly he lifted his head from Makoto's neck and looked up at him.

He whispered "I know I'm not good at expressing myself. I'm sorry I haven't been an easy child. I'm just, just so scared." Tears started to fall again. "I don't want to get hurt again. I-I don't want to be left alone again, Dad."

The hairs on the back of his head stood when he heard Tobio's voice. In the 2 years that he lived in the house, never had Tobio addressed him with that title. It was always Tachibana-san or sir. Never ... that.

Gently, ever so gently, Makoto cupped Tobio's cheeks and started to wipe away his tears.

"Don't worry. Dad isn't going anywhere anytime soon."

* * *

PART ONE OF "SWIMMING + VOLLEYBALL = FAMILY" SERIES

Please if you have ideas, don't hesitant to share them with me. I live for comments.

Note: Since Kageyama grew up without a father, I feel like he would be scared of Makoto's figure in his life. Makoto isn't the only one who got this treatment, Haruka did too but Kageyama felt more comfortable with him so he didn't get as much of a cold shoulder.


End file.
